Umatilla County Circuit Court Overview
Umatilla County Circuit Court is part of the Oregon Judicial Department and serves as the county's general-jurisdiction state trial court. Oregon circuit courts are courts of record, which means the official court register and case file track filings, hearings, orders, judgments, and later case events. In Umatilla County, that work is split between two full-service locations, one in Pendleton and one in Hermiston. The same circuit court system handles criminal prosecutions, civil lawsuits, domestic relations, probate, juvenile matters, small claims, protective orders, mental commitments, traffic violations, adoptions, and guardianships.
Umatilla County belongs to Oregon's Sixth Judicial District with Morrow County. Judges serve both counties, and the local court pages publish calendars, judge assignments, records-request instructions, and courthouse information through Oregon Judicial Department channels. Circuit court records are not held by the Umatilla County Records Office, even though that office works in the same Pendleton courthouse. The Records Office specifically sends court, criminal, custody, divorce, fines, judgments, parenting-plan, probate, and traffic requests to the circuit court phone line.
The circuit court is also the primary court-records clerk for state trial-court files in Umatilla County. Detailed case access may require OJCIN Online, the Oregon Judicial Case Information Network, while copies and non-digitized files go through the local records-request process. That split is important. A person looking for a deed, recorded lien, or marriage license should use the Umatilla County Records Office, while a person looking for a divorce decree, criminal judgment, probate file, or traffic case should start with Circuit Court.
According to the Oregon Judicial Department, circuit courts sit below the Oregon Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court in the state court system. County, municipal, justice, federal, and tribal courts are separate systems. That means a Hermiston Municipal Court case, a federal case in Pendleton, or a county sheriff public-records request may not appear in the same Umatilla County Circuit Court record search.
Umatilla County Circuit Court Locations
The circuit court has two full-service Umatilla County locations. Most circuit court documents can be filed at either Pendleton or Hermiston, and both locations have courtrooms and public service counters on the second floor. The Pendleton courthouse is the historic county courthouse location, while the Stafford Hansell Government Center became the Hermiston court location after a fire destroyed the prior Hermiston facilities. Visitors should expect security screening before entering the second-floor court areas.
| Location | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umatilla County Courthouse | Full-service Circuit Court location | 216 SE Fourth Street, Pendleton, OR 97801 | 541-278-0341 |
| Stafford Hansell Government Center | Full-service Circuit Court location | 915 SE Columbia Drive, Hermiston, OR 97838 | 541-667-3020 |
| Umatilla County Justice Center | Sheriff and corrections facility, not the circuit court clerk | 4700 NW Pioneer Place, Pendleton, OR 97801 | 541-966-3600 |
The local court home page notes that Pendleton filings and payments can be placed in the drop box outside Room 230 during business hours. Hermiston has a drop box on the north wall outside the main entrance and resumed normal courtrooms and public windows in July 2023. Jury call-in numbers for Umatilla County are listed as 1-800-452-8154 and 541-276-8757.
The Sixth Judicial District judge page is the best official source for current courtroom assignments. It places Judge Ballard in Courtroom 1 in Pendleton, Judge Collins in Courtroom 2 in Pendleton, Judge Lieuallen in Courtroom 3 in Pendleton, Judge Temple in Courtroom 4 in Hermiston, and Judge Hill in Courtroom 5 in Hermiston. Morrow County matters are heard in Heppner by rotation.
On the Umatilla and Morrow Circuit Court home page, the official court site shows the Pendleton and Hermiston court blocks side by side.
That page is useful because it distinguishes the two circuit court locations from county administrative offices and local municipal courts.
Circuit Court vs Local Courts
Oregon's court structure makes venue checks important in Umatilla County. The state-funded Circuit Court handles the broad trial-court docket, while municipal and justice courts are local courts outside the Oregon Judicial Department. Hermiston Municipal Court handles city and state law offenses committed within Hermiston city limits, except felonies. The OJD violations page also points users to local municipal or justice courts when a citation is filed outside circuit court.
| Feature | Umatilla County Circuit Court | Municipal Court | Justice Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| System | Oregon Judicial Department | City court outside the state-funded system | Local court outside the state-funded system |
| Common matters | Felony, misdemeanor, civil, family, probate, juvenile, traffic, small claims, protective orders | City and state law offenses in city limits, excluding felonies | Selected local violations and lesser matters |
| Record access | OJD search, OJCIN, local records request, courthouse kiosk | City record search, city request form, municipal court clerk | Contact the justice court named on the citation |
| Umatilla examples | Pendleton and Hermiston Circuit Court locations | Hermiston, Stanfield, Pendleton, Milton-Freewater, Pilot Rock, Umatilla | Irrigon Justice Court listed by local court contacts |
The citation or case notice usually identifies the correct court. For traffic matters, Hermiston Municipal Court states that Hermiston Police citations stay in municipal court, while Umatilla County Sheriff's Office and Oregon State Police citations go to Umatilla County Circuit Court. A search in the wrong court may return no result even when a case is active.
How Umatilla County Cases Move
Case flow depends on the case type. A criminal case can begin after arrest, citation, or prosecutor filing. A civil, family, probate, or protective-order case usually begins when a petition, complaint, or other starting document is filed. Once the case is open, the court register tracks hearings, motions, orders, judgments, continuances, and disposition entries. If a case is appealed, the appellate record moves into Oregon appellate systems.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › charging review › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › possible appeal.
Civil and family flow: Complaint or petition filed › service › response › hearings or motions › settlement, trial, or order › judgment › possible appeal.
Probate flow: Petition or small estate affidavit › notices › fiduciary letters or orders › inventory and administration › final accounting or closing when required.
Remote hearings add another access layer. The local calendars page publishes daily calendars, WebEx access information, livestream links, and a warning that calendars may change during the day. Audio or video for remote proceedings begins near the scheduled time but can be delayed. Observers may use anonymous name and email entries when they are not parties.
Umatilla Circuit Court Divisions
The Umatilla County Circuit Court docket is organized by case type and judge assignment rather than by separate county-level trial courts. Criminal work is shared among Judges Hill, Lieuallen, and Ballard, with Judge Hill listed as Chief Criminal Judge for Umatilla and Morrow counties. Judge Ballard generally hears traffic, small claims, evictions, all criminal arraignments, civil commitments, and miscellaneous matters.
Non-criminal work includes protective orders, domestic relations, civil cases, juvenile matters, adoptions, probate, mental health, post-conviction, habeas, and mandamus. Judge Temple is listed as Presiding Judge, Chief Civil and Family Law Judge, and Chief Juvenile Administrative Judge for Umatilla County. Judge Collins is listed as the primary juvenile delinquency judge and shares non-criminal dockets.
The Sixth Judicial District Treatment Court is a local specialty program tied to criminal cases driven by substance use. The Treatment Court page states that the program began in August 2018 and uses intensive outpatient treatment, frequent drug testing, weekly court sessions, and community supports for eligible probation cases.
On the Sixth Judicial District judge assignments page, the court lists subject-matter roles and usual courtrooms for Umatilla and Morrow County judges.
Those assignments help readers understand why a Umatilla County Circuit Court record may show a Pendleton courtroom, a Hermiston courtroom, or a Morrow County rotation.
Sixth Judicial District Records
Umatilla and Morrow counties share Oregon's Sixth Judicial District. That regional structure affects calendars, judge rotations, specialty court references, and some administrative contacts. A Umatilla County record may still be searched as an Oregon circuit court record, but the local page often names the combined Umatilla and Morrow court because judges and programs serve both counties.
For record access, the key distinction is not the district name but the record holder. State trial court case information is searched through the Oregon Judicial Department's records and calendars page, OJCIN/OECI, courthouse kiosks, and the local circuit court records-request form. The court's own request page says non-confidential and non-sealed records are available to the public. Digitized documents can be reviewed for free on courthouse lobby kiosks, and non-digitized files can be viewed at the counter after the file is requested ahead of time.
| Access channel | Best use | Local note |
|---|---|---|
| OJD records and calendars | Free basic case and court-date information | Some online records and calendars are restricted or may be unavailable |
| OJCIN/OECI | Detailed register of actions for circuit and tax court cases | Paid subscription access |
| Courthouse kiosk | Free review of digitized public documents | Used at courthouse lobby computers |
| Records Request form | Copies, certified copies, audio, and non-digitized file pulls | Payment must be made before processing |
Lower Courts in Umatilla County
Lower local courts can hold records that do not appear in a Umatilla County Circuit Court search. Hermiston Municipal Court handles all city and state law offenses committed within Hermiston city limits, excluding felonies. Its official court pages list the court at 180 NE Second St., Hermiston, OR 97838, phone 541-567-6610, with public hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Hermiston also links to a municipal court record-search page and a court records request form.
The local court contacts and OJD violations page also identify Irrigon Justice Court, Stanfield Municipal Court, Milton-Freewater Municipal Court, Pendleton Municipal Court, Pilot Rock Municipal Court, and City of Umatilla Municipal Court as possible local channels. When a citation names one of those courts, contact that court directly rather than assuming Circuit Court has the active file.
Federal court is separate as well. Umatilla County is within the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, and Pendleton has the John F. Kilkenny United States Courthouse. The official federal page says the Pendleton courthouse is not staffed and that in-person federal filings must be done at the Portland Division. Federal dockets are searched through PACER or federal court systems, not through Umatilla County Circuit Court.
Note: A no-result search in one court system does not rule out a record in a separate municipal, justice, federal, or county records system.